Toyota, Mazda and Denso join forces for electric vehicle development



It’s getting ever so clear that the days of the petrol-powered cars are numbered. With countries like France, India and China, all taking steps leading to their ban in the impending future, major automakers are hard pressed to ditch their traditional ways and oversee a smooth transition to electric vehicle production.

Recently, Toyota has just entered into a new venture to develop electric vehicle technology with another industry leader, Mazda and Denso, Toyota’s biggest supplier of components, according to a report by Reuters. This follows after reports that Ford is in talks to build EVs in China, alongside future electric Volvo’s being built in China – with all clearly taking necessary steps to meet growing trends and future demands.

Development of affordable EV technology, with Toyota providing the financial muscle will also be applied to compact cars, sedans, SUVs and even pick up trucks. With batteries costing lesser, EVs can be built with more power, allowing its production to be more feasible.

With Mitsubishi’s recent announcement that its new Evolution model may not be petrol-powered alongside their new “Alliance” with Renault and Nissan, the pressure is on. The likes Honda, BMW Group, Hyundai and VW have all pledged electric car launches by 2020. Mazda with this new venture has whispered plans of an EV launch by the same year.

At the moment, we can expect to receive one of the world’s best selling electric cars, the Nissan Leaf, due to be launched in Malaysia next year. Let’s see what the public perception and response would be like.